Steampunk Addition Brings Retro-Futuristic Flair to Farmhouse

By S.A. Rogers

An ordinary traditional farmhouse in Ghent, Belgium appears to have a retro-futuristic spaceship docked beside it, ready to take off into the air. The rounded, copper-clad extension comes complete with submarine-style glass port holes, described by architects Atelier Vens Vanbelle as “a cocktail of science fiction and nostalgia.”

Not only does this highly unusual, stylized home addition accommodate an extra bedroom and bathroom, it also hides a private grassy-floored balcony. The all-white interior is made up of continuous curved surfaces to invoke the feeling of a spaceship interior.

The architects incorporated a curving glass wall that had been added to the home in the ’90s, building the new extension on top of it. There’s no denying that it’s a bit of a startling contrast to the original structure with its white shutters and terra-cotta tile roof, but the firm wasn’t going for a subtle effect.

“The architecture of the new extension reinforces the ambiguous character of the existing buildings, because instead of searching a solution that matches as closely as possible the existing buildings, there’s been chosen to give the new building volume a strong and personal character. The new building volume seems to have landed or washed up on the site, as a sort of retro-futuristic capsule which one can not determine the origin.”

“At first sight the result seems a little bit odd, but at the same time it is also very obvious. It’s quite difficult to place it into a particular style or category, which ensures this house will withstand the test of time.”